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Cannabis Use Among Pregnant Women in California Is Increasing, New Study Reports

A new research study has found that the number of pregnant California women who use marijuana has increased over the past decade, raising concerns over whether pot-puffing mothers are putting unborn children at risk. A research team from Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland found that the rate of pregnant women who used cannabis rose from 4% in 2009 to 7% by 2016. The rates were significantly higher among younger women, with pot use for pregnant teens under 18 growing from 13% to nearly 22% in the study period, and from 10% to 19% among women aged 18 to 24.

The researchers looked at data from 279,457 pregnant women who were treated at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California. As part of their standard prenatal practice, doctors at these centers asked women to fill out a questionnaire regarding their past-month drug use while they were